Cloud computing, also known as on-demand computing, is a kind of Internet-based computing, where shared resources, data and information are provided to computers and other devices on-demand. It is a model for enabling ubiquitous, on-demand access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources. Cloud computing and storage solutions provide users and enterprises with various capabilities to store and process their data in third-party data centers. It relies on sharing of resources to achieve coherence and economies of scale, similar to a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network. At the foundation of cloud computing is the broader concept of converged infrastructure and shared services.
Cloud computing data centers tend to have a relatively large amount of computer hardware and software. Often hardware virtualization or platform virtualization with virtual machines that acts like a real computer with an operating system is used. Software executed on these virtual machines is separated from the underlying hardware resources. Virtual machines can be loaded up or removed as needed.